Former NY State AG’s Charities Bureau Chief Jason Lilien Joins Loeb & Loeb in New York

NEW YORK – Loeb & Loeb LLP announced today that Jason R. Lilien, a former Bureau Chief of the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau, has joined the firm’s nationally-recognized Charitable Giving and Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice as a partner in the New York office. Lilien’s arrival follows the recent expansion of Loeb & Loeb’s tax-exempt organizations practice with the addition of partners Marcus S. Owens, former director of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division, and Diara M. Holmes who joined the firm in March.

“Following on the heels of the arrival of Marc and Diara in the firm’s D.C. office, Jason’s move further solidifies Loeb’s position as the preeminent law firm in the nonprofit and exempt organizations field,” said Loeb & Loeb Chairman Michael D. Beck. “With a former New York AG official and a former IRS official on our esteemed bench, we are able to offer our nonprofit clients a truly unparalleled service platform.”

With significant private and public sector experience, having led the largest state charities regulatory office in the country, Lilien advises clients throughout the nonprofit space on corporate governance and compliance matters, internal investigations, regulatory and enforcement actions, corporate transactions, nonprofit formation, charitable fundraising, and cause marketing.

“Jason’s years of government experience and leadership in major initiatives that have transformed nonprofit governance and oversight make him an incredible asset to our team,” said Leah M. Bishop, co-chair of Loeb & Loeb’s Trusts and Estates Department and Charitable Giving and Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice.

“I have known Jason for over 15 years as a leading tax-exempt organizations attorney,” added Eliot P. Green, co-chair of the Charitable Giving and Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice. “We are excited that he will be joining Loeb & Loeb, where his talent and experience both as a private practice and government professional adds significant depth and capability to our team.”

Lilien was principal author of the Nonprofit Revitalization Act of 2013, the most comprehensive reform of New York’s nonprofit laws since they were enacted in the 1960s. During his tenure at the Bureau, Lilien was responsible for bringing nationally prominent enforcement actions and resolving some of New York’s most high profile and complex trust and estate matters, including the estates of Huguette Clark and Brooke Astor, which collectively provided hundreds of millions of dollars to various charities. He drafted best practices for cause marketing that have been adopted by many of the country’s most prominent charities and are now a national model, and he also authored key provisions of the New York Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, which governs how nonprofits can invest and utilize their endowments.

Lilien has worked on a number of initiatives to advance the development of corporate governance best practices and has become a national thought leader on the subject. In addition to speaking and writing on these issues, Lilien has served on numerous boards, including the National Association of State Charity Officials.

“I’m delighted to join a team so dedicated to serving the nonprofit sector’s ever evolving needs,” said Lilien. “Loeb’s national reach and its incredible breadth on the tax, trust and estate planning and litigation sides will be an excellent strategic complement to my practice.”    

Lilien joins Loeb & Loeb from Zuckerman Spaeder LLP.  Earlier in his career, he was instrumental in the development of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, a not-for-profit entity established to finance, own, and operate the official Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center site. He previously served as pro bono counsel to the board, treasurer and secretary.

Loeb & Loeb’s Charitable Giving and Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice advises the full spectrum of tax-exempt organizations on issues such as executive compensation, regulatory compliance, tax, corporate transactions, fundraising/grant making, advocacy, governance, intellectual property and litigation. The national practice is composed of more than 20 attorneys and professionals focused on exempt organizations and related donor issues, along with an expanded team of subject matter specialists spanning transactional and litigation areas.

About Loeb & Loeb LLP
Loeb & Loeb is a multiservice law firm with more than 300 attorneys focusing on select practice areas, rather than endeavoring to be all things to all clients. The firm is recognized as a leading law firm in the areas of capital markets; corporate; media and entertainment; intellectual property; litigation; real estate; technology; and tax and wealth services. Loeb & Loeb has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Nashville, Washington, DC, and Beijing, as well as an affiliate office in Hong Kong.